Sky owns NI home game tv rights - 6 million deal - domestic matches included.

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 9:13 AM

Looks like NI football is finally going to get a bit of investment.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sp...cle2489416.ece

And

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6598357.stm

It was reported in the Sunday World a few weeks back, but I wouldn't take that paper seriously enough untill it is reported somewhere else. Good to see it was right this time.

**Dodge** · 27/04/2007, 9:33 AM

Sky has lost the rights to conference football (to Setanta) so may show IL games in their place. Would be a massive boost for your league IMO

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 9:39 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Sky has lost the rights to conference football (to Setanta) so may show IL games in their place. Would be a massive boost for your league IMO

The thing that excites me is the nationwide viewing. There are many northern ireland and Linfield(and other teams) exiles on the mainland and it gives them an opportunity to support there former local team.

It is also an opportunity for local players to showcase there talents to a nationwide audience which might get them noticed by teams across the water.

And thats not counting the financial benefits.

**Poor Student** · 27/04/2007, 9:52 AM

It would be great for domestic Irish football if the IL can get on TV and those funds filter through to the IL. Good luck with that.

**Philly** · 27/04/2007, 9:56 AM

Irish League on Sky?

Good for yas. As soon as the barstoolers down here see your games on TVs in pubs, they'll be ordering jerseys and getting flights up to see your teams every month or two.

**AnnaghRed** · 27/04/2007, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Philly

Irish League on Sky?

Good for yas. As soon as the barstoolers down here see your games on TVs in pubs, they'll be ordering jerseys and getting flights up to see your teams every month or two.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?

While the money will come in useful [provided it is spent wisely] I doubt very much if we'll see many live domestic games, and presumably this could spell the end of the IC & CIS Finals being broadcast live.

The beeb will still be screwing us for the licence-fee, while telly-addicts now face subscribing to both Sky and Setanta if they want full coverage.

The jury is definitely still out on this one.

**Philly** · 27/04/2007, 10:45 AM

No you don't.

Any yeah, when Sky done a deal with the FAI there was uproar here, and the Government actually brought in a law stopping it happening again. How has Northern Ireland reacted?

**Dodge** · 27/04/2007, 10:49 AM

Considering it would be the Blair government that could change the law (and they haven't for England, Scotland or Wales), its unlikely (and shouldn't have been changed here either BTW)

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Philly

No you don't.

Any yeah, when Sky done a deal with the FAI there was uproar here, and the Government actually brought in a law stopping it happening again. How has Northern Ireland reacted?

I feel there is a big difference, Sky TV is a british/UK satillite service and the Republic isn't.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK and a UK broadcaster has bought the rights.

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Philly

Irish League on Sky?

Good for yas. As soon as the barstoolers down here see your games on TVs in pubs, they'll be ordering jerseys and getting flights up to see your teams every month or two.

What is the point of your sarcasm?

**Claret Murph** · 27/04/2007, 11:41 AM

Not sure on this one , again the north are doing well at the moment so in steps Sky with an offer they can't refuse , now if I was NI fan I am sure that I would be far from happy with it all . I have read a few comments on a Englsh football site and they seem far from happy with the deal .

**SwiftsSupporter** · 27/04/2007, 12:01 PM

Sky tried before I think well for the IL anyway and the IFA let that one slip (apparantly they did more but we'll not go into that) anyway this is massive for the IL really we've been ****ed about with BBC and UTV for years now and I'm sure Sky will step up to the plate.

**AnnaghRed** · 27/04/2007, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Philly

No you don't.

Any yeah, when Sky done a deal with the FAI there was uproar here, and the Government actually brought in a law stopping it happening again. How has Northern Ireland reacted?

Think most are happy to see the BBC get a slap in the bake, but long term i'm not so sure if its the right way to go.

I hope i'm wrong.

Certainly it wont make me rush out and upgrade my Sky package to include the Sports, and for a lot of people the Irish League may simply disappear off the radar.

**Dodge** · 27/04/2007, 12:05 PM

It depends on the deal. if its no highlights package and only 5 live games a season its not really worth it if the deal excludes BBC/UTV from showing anything

**Jerry The Saint** · 27/04/2007, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

I feel there is a big difference, Sky TV is a british/UK satillite service and the Republic isn't.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK and a UK broadcaster has bought the rights.

Dont' think so. Sky is considered a 'home' broadcaster for Ireland as well - this is why FAI clubs were compensated when Sky started broadcasting live games on Sunday afternoons - rather than a channel broadcasting to another country which can be picked up in the republic, such as BBC/ITV.

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 1:11 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

It depends on the deal. if its no highlights package and only 5 live games a season its not really worth it if the deal excludes BBC/UTV from showing anything

So your saying 5 games more than the nothing we get now isn't worth it?

bbc and utv will still show our goals on news broadcasts but Sky are giving us 5 live games that we never had. This is a big step forward and will hopefully mean that we'll gradually get increased to maybe 10 - 20 games a season in the future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ls/6599507.stm

also 5 times the amount we had before, slap it up them.

**Dodge** · 27/04/2007, 1:25 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

bbc and utv will still show our goals on news broadcasts

That was the highlights I was talking about. if the only IL football on any station next year was 5 games on Sky it'd be bad. If its the current stuff on BBC/UTV plus five games its good

Sorry for confusion

**AnnaghRed** · 27/04/2007, 1:44 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

bbc and utv will still show our goals on news broadcasts

It'll be an improvement if they do, quite often they don't even mention the results!

Some boy on the radio earlier reckons the beeb will scale down on the reasonably comprehensive coverage they put out on a saturday evening.

**OneRedArmy** · 27/04/2007, 1:44 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

I feel there is a big difference, Sky TV is a british/UK satillite service and the Republic isn't.

No it isn't.

Last time I checked Sky was owned by an Australian and has a greater market share in Ireland than it has in the UK.

The point in relation to the Irish legal change was solely related to the fact that the games would be PPV and not terrestrial, therefore limiting the viewership. Its similar to the UK list of "crown jewel" sports events that must be broadcast on free to air channels.

I think the poster above was referring to the British/devolved NI Government potentially protecting Norn Ireland games on terrestrial TV by bringing legislation in such as in place in England and Ireland.

So in summary, not everything in life has to do with Britishness......

**Steve Bruce** · 27/04/2007, 2:00 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

No it isn't.

Last time I checked Sky was owned by an Australian and has a greater market share in Ireland than it has in the UK.

The point in relation to the Irish legal change was solely related to the fact that the games would be PPV and not terrestrial, therefore limiting the viewership. Its similar to the UK list of "crown jewel" sports events that must be broadcast on free to air channels.

I think the poster above was referring to the British/devolved NI Government potentially protecting Norn Ireland games on terrestrial TV by bringing legislation in such as in place in England and Ireland.

So in summary, not everything in life has to do with Britishness......

Doesn't matter who owns it, its a UK television system and it doesn't matter where it is shown either, if its ROI or Spain, it is still a British television provider. The Sun, News of the World etc are all owned by the same Australian and they are British tabloids.

But anyway, that is off topic completely.